Description
Centaurea behen, known in Unani medicine as Behman Safed or white behman, is a perennial herbaceous plant of the family Asteraceae, naturally distributed across Iran, Afghanistan, and the arid upland regions of Pakistan and northwestern India. The plant grows in rocky, well-drained soils at moderate altitudes and produces pink-purple composite flowers characteristic of the genus. The dried root is a classical ingredient of Unani compound preparations — particularly those in the Mufarreh and Majoon categories — traditionally formulated to support cardiac tone, nervous vitality, and male reproductive health. Referenced in Ibn Sina’s Al-Qanun fi al-Tibb and subsequent Qarabadeen compilations, Behman Safed remains commercially sourced from Afghanistan and Iran for Indian Unani manufacturers.
